LIVING LIFE : Get reading

Everybody who has been in a school, must revile the idea of reading to master or cram and regurgitate information in an examination. Unfortunately, that is the whole mark of formal education. We are taught in order for us to prove that we were taught, by writing answers or suggesting solutions to set problems. No wonder a lot of very literate people hate the idea of reading for leisure. In fact some people say, if you want to hide anything from an African, put it in a book. I don’t agree with such stereotypes even though the literacy rates of African countries do not help our case either. So in a way education itself, far from teaching us to fall in love with the habit of reading, it instead pushes us away from it. Then how can anyone make an interesting case for reading to someone, whose hate for the habit comes from education itself? Think about this. Most inspirational figures cannot pass without reading a book. It may be a Robert Ludlum thriller, a newspaper like this one, a magazine of something you really like. We must learn to read at least in the field of our professional careers, our hobbies or even our passions. If you are a football fanatic, read all sports pages of newspapers, on the internet. If you are a political idealist read Nelson Mandela autobiography or Barrack Obama’s Dreams from my father. If you are a local businessman, make it a habit to read at least the tender adverts in Imvaho newspaper. And if you are into nice clothes and shoes, make it a point to read this magazine’s fashion pages every week, because that way, you learn and enjoy what you are reading. And if you are really serious about what to read and the books your want to read are too expensive? Simple, just log onto the internet and go to Google, searching terms of topics of your interest, make quick scan of everything you get and if you like it, copy and paste into one word document until you can’t anymore. You can then store that document on your computer or your flash disk or even attach it to an email, and send it too yourself. That way you get can get free time to leaf through your document, or you can print it and take even more time reading through. You will be shocked at how much free info is out there to feed your hunger for knowledge. Your brain will suddenly generate ideas very first. You will be able to spot opportunities in your surroundings, or notice how silent but smart people are doing wonderful things next to you while everybody else is completely blind to them. Reading is the one simple thing that puts you at par with someone your age in China, India or California. It opens your eyes to the wider world. It breaks down your physical boundaries, and makes you understand why people in other parts of the word think the way they think or do the things they do. Reading gives you the power that is worth millions of francs, power that remains with you as long as you live. So this Sunday, get reading! kelviod@yahoo.com